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Thursday, February 24, 2011

Thiruvidanthai

Thiruvidanthai is One of the 108 Vaishnava Divya Desams, Thiruvidanthai is situated at Kovalam (this is different from the Kovalam of Kerala ) on the ECR at a distance of about 40Kms from Chennai.

This quite near Mamallapuram, a series of posts of which I just concluded.

While I am sorting out facts and pictures of my next series of posts (Suspense..!) , the first of which I am hoping to roll out this week end....... I noticed the photos of Thiruvidanthai that is near Mamallapuram. So posting it just along with Mamallapuram will not be out of place. Till tomorrow or Saturday, Hope you enjoy these pictures.

The principal deity Lord Vishnu is in the form of wild boar known as Aadhi Varaha swamy aka Nithya Kalyana Perumal and Goddess is Ahilavalli thaayaar (Thaayaar in Tamil means Mother).

This lord is supposed to bestow the marriage wish of His devotees..Many unmarried singles come here to pray for a suitable life partner..and I found many newly wed couples also. Couples carry garlands and wear it in front of the deity after they are sanctified at the feet of the deity.

Varaha Swamy with Goddess Lakshmi

Elegant architecture with cute sculptures

This beautiful arch welcomes you ..as you enter the small road from the ECR to get to the temple. On going further you will encounter this elegant frontage of the temple.

Ever since I spotted some beautiful paintings on the inside roof of the mandapam at Thirukkazhukundram temple, I became curious and make it a point to look for some thing special there..!

Once you enter the main entrance, you encounter a huge lawn with a couple of mandapams. The lush green grass and well maintained space will be a joy to sit and relax in the evenings. Beyond this camera is not allowed..

Outside on the way to the arch is the tank of the temple. This is called Varaha Theertham aka Kalyana Theertham. Contains a large number of fishes. The water in this huge tank seems to be slowly getting polluted. Though the water looks clear on close quarters, I found a lot of garbage floating on the surface and people washing clothes. When I questioned a woman washing the clothes, she asked me to mind my business and told me that the temple tanks are meant for washing and bathing only..! The temple authorities need to take steps to protect the quality of water in this tank which adds beauty of this otherwise well maintained temple...!